Under
the ongoing insults of human-caused climate change, the North
Atlantic is ground zero for the potential development of the worst
storms humankind has ever experienced. And indications are that the
ramping up to this dangerous time may well be starting now.

The
temperature related weather instabilities between the warming North
Atlantic, the melting but still frigid ice packs of Greenland, the
retreating polar sea ice, a continental North America enduring a
series of polar vortex collapse events flushing cold air south as the
Arctic experiences its warmest readings in an age, and an interior
Europe and Asia that are also experiencing mass migrations of cold
air fleeing the ever-warmer Arctic are just screaming.

A
bite of warm air and related warm ocean water has flooded a large
region between Scandinavia, Svalbard and Novaya Zemlya, making its
home where winter sea ice once resided. The waters near Greenland are
now melt-cooled by the 500 gigatons of average annual glacial outflow
occurring there. And the never-ending influx and concentration of
heat in the Arctic has set the Jet Stream into a fit of wild loops
and whirls.

All
these changes result in a high degree of weather instability, in a
setting off of extreme weather events, of great switches from cool,
to extreme hot, from record drought to record deluge. In the past few
years we’ve seen these kinds of extreme weather events occur with
increasing frequency. But now, a new kind of extreme event is
beginning to emerge, a kind of event that may well be prelude to ‘The
Storms of My Grandchildren’ Dr
James Hansen alluded to in his prescient book examining the ultimate
consequences of an ongoing and devastating human greenhouse gas
emission.

The
Breeder of Storms: Our Warming-Ravaged North Atlantic

Ever
since winter began to settle in, and the extreme effects of Northern
Hemisphere temperature imbalance and Jet Stream changes began to take
hold, the North Atlantic has become a breeder of extraordinarily
powerful storms. According
to reports from NOAA’s Ocean Prediction Center,
the month of December alone featured 14 instances of hurricane wind
events, 10 storms that experienced rapid intensification, and 5
storms that featured pressures of 950 mb or lower.

For
comparison, a tropical storm that hits 950 mb is usually a category 5
hurricane. And for any ocean basin to show 14 instances of hurricane
force winds let alone 5 950 mb and below storms over a one month
period is extraordinary indeed. Imagine if the south Atlantic
generated 10 hurricanes 5 of which were cat 5 in just one month and
then you get a general comparison.

Two
of these storms were particularly intense with one reaching 940 mb
and another deepening to an exceptionally low 929 mb (the lowest
reading ever recorded for the North Atlantic was 916 mb). By
comparison, the freakish monster that was Hurricane Sandy bottomed
out at 940 mb.

It
is worth noting that the storms of the North Atlantic typically
spread their energy out over larger areas than a tropical system. So
though pressures are low enough to be comparible with the most
intense tropical storms, the winds generated typically ranged from 75
to 100 mph while extending outward over hundreds of miles. By
comparison, a typical tropical cyclone would have a very intense wind
field within 20 to 100 miles of its center with intensity rapidly
falling off beyond this zone.

Overall,
the North Atlantic sees very few storms of 940 mb or lower, usually
at the average rate of less than one every year. So for two to occur
in the same month is exceptional indeed.

January
also featured an almost endless cavalcade of intense storms rushing
across the North Atlantic with numerous lows bottoming out below 950
mb (NOAA will issue a final tally sometime in February). Meanwhile,
powerful storms developing in the North Atlantic continually pummeled
Europe throughout most of the winter of 2012-2013 resulting in some
of the worst rain and snowfall events ever recorded.

This
recent climate-change driven shift of the North Atlantic into an
increasingly stormy weather pattern may well be a prelude to even
more extreme changes to come. Weather models produced by GISS and
examined by premier climate scientist James Hansen indicate that very
powerful storms arise in conjunction with increasing Greenland melt.
Large pulses of fresh, cold water entering the North Atlantic were
observed to create climate instabilities that resulted in very
powerful storms with frontal systems the size of continents that
packed the punch of hurricanes in the physical model runs. It was the
likelihood that such storms could emerge by or before mid-century
that, in part, spurred Dr. Hansen to write his prescient book — The
Storms of My Grandchildren.

As
noted above, the current Greenland melt outflow averages about 500
gigatons each year. This outflow is already large enough to weaken
the Gulf Stream and set off severe weather instabilities. But with
Arctic warming continuing to amplify and Jet Stream patterns bringing
more and more warm air over Greenland, melt rates may triple or more
over the coming decades, resulting in even more severe weather
consequences. So the extreme storm patterns we see emerging in the
North Atlantic now are likely just a minor prelude when compared to
what we will witness as the years and decades progress.

England
in the Firing Line: Windiest December Precedes Wettest January

Currently
in the direct firing line of these powerful storms are the main
islands of the United Kingdom. Throughout December, England suffered
an almost constant assault of storms. In total, five storms, or more
than one storm per week brought excessive rains and wind gusts in
excess of hurricane force to the British Isles. The results were tens
of thousands of power outages, major waves and storm surge events
along the coastline resulting in damage to coastal structures and
persons being swept out to sea, and increasing instances of flooding
over saturated ground.

On
record, December 2014 was one of the stormiest ever seen for the
British Isles. According to weather data, the month was the windiest
since record keeping began in 1969:

In
addition, December also ranked one of the rainiest with many
locations seeing 3 times the normal level of rainfall for the month.

As
the new year began, the series of severe storms impacting the UK
continued unabated through late January. And as of the 28th, South
England had experienced its wettest month since record keeping began
in 1910. With a month and a half still remaining Southeast England
had already experienced its 6th wettest winter season on record.

Dr
Richard Dixon, director of FES Scotland when commenting in a Guardian
interview
about the most recent spate of anomalous UK weather noted:

“November
and December were record breakers in Scotland, with storm after storm
hitting around Christmas. Climate change is bringing chaos to our
weather, not just increasing global temperatures but affecting ocean
currents and global air currents. Scotland is caught between the
changing influences of disappearing Arctic ice, the shifting jet
stream and a weakening Gulf Stream. It is no wonder our weather is
becoming less and less predictable. The consequences for us are more
extreme weather, including more flooding.”

Very
Dangerous Flood Situation for Southeast England: Powerful Storm on
the Way

The
extreme rainfall, as of today, had resulted in a major flood event
for Southeast England focusing on the Midlands and Somerset. The
event inundated croplands, homes and farms throughout the rural
region and spurred England to put its military on standby as
forecasts show more rain and high winds are on the way. The anomalous
event also spurred the 15th meeting of COBRA, the UK’s emergency
response committee which has, increasingly, been called due to a
continuous barrage of weather emergencies.

(Aerial
photo showing homes, businesses and a vast area of land flooded in
Somerset, England. Image Source: David
Hedges)

In
addition to the clearly visible inundation, numerous villages in the
region have been cut off due to flooded roads for more than a week
(with some areas being cut off for a month). The constant barrage of
storms has resulted in both persistently high tides and almost
continuous rainfall. The rainfall, trapped by high sea water, has
nowhere to escape and simply pools, continuing to build up in the
low-lying lands.

The
UK’s conservative government’s response to the situation, thus
far, has been anemic, waiting until today to declare the region a
disaster area.

Unfortunately,
another powerful storm is predicted to arrive by Saturday bringing
with it yet one more spate of strong winds, heavy surf and driving
rainfall to the already soaked region.

So
if you’re living in Southeast England please do your best to remain
safe, to heed government warnings, and to urge your government
officials to provide you with the level of response you deserve
during this dangerous time (including policy changes to reduce the
rapidly increasing degree of harm coming from human caused climate
change).

Early
Storms Minor by Comparison

It
is worth noting that, though more intense than we’re used to, these
storms are the early, weaker outliers of a very dangerous period that
is to follow. Our best models and our best climate scientists report
the likelihood of far more dangerous storms emerging from this region
and from the set of conditions that includes a weakening Gulf Stream,
a melting Greenland, an amped up hydrological cycle and rapidly
warming zones first at the northern polar region and then in the
tropics. The eventual size of these storms could expand to cover
continents and involve multiple linked and powerful storm centers. As
noted above, Hansen warned of frontal storms large enough to blanket
continents and with areas of hurricane strength winds stretching
thousands of miles. We haven’t seen anything like that yet. And so
the freakish and extraordinary weather we’ve witnessed this winter,
and in recent years, is merely prologue for worse events to follow.

The
Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority has approved the dumping of
3m cubic metres of dredging spoil proposed as part of the Abbot Point
coalport expansion.

The
spoil is to be dumped about 24km from Abbot Point, near Bowen in
north Queensland.

The
expansion of the port, which hinged on the approval of the dumping,
means an extra 70m tonnes of coal each year, worth between $1.4bn and
$2.8bn, will go through the port, which is also a gateway to the
world heritage-listed reef.

The
authority granted approval with strict conditions on Friday
afternoon.

The
authority chairman, Dr Russell Reichelt, said he recognised the
amount of debate and community concern the project had generated and
shared with everyone a strong desire to ensure the reef remained a
great natural wonder into the future.

“This
approval is in line with the agency’s view that port development
along the Great Barrier Reef coastline should be limited to existing
ports,” Reichelt said.

“As
a deepwater port that has been in operation for nearly 30 years,
Abbot Point is better placed than other ports along the Great Barrier
Reef coastline to undertake expansion as the capital and maintenance
dredging required will be significantly less than what would be
required in other areas.

“It’s
important to note the seafloor of the approved disposal area consists
of sand, silt and clay and does not contain coral reefs or seagrass
beds.”

North
Queensland Bulk Ports Corporation had applied to dump within the
Great Barrier Reef marine park and, although the authority was asked
to make a decision within 10 days of the environment minister, Greg
Hunt, approving the project in December, it asked for an extension.

North
Queensland Bulk Ports Corporation is also expected to come up with an
alternative site that is also expected to be within the marine park.

The
corporation has maintained flora and fauna are unlikely to be damaged
by the dumping, with the water perhaps becoming cloudy for a short
period of time, but the UN body Unesco is reviewing the decision.

The
corporation says it would be more environmentally damaging to dump
the spoil on land.

World
Wildlife Fund Great Barrier Reef campaigner Richard Leck said it was
a sad day for the reef and anyone who cared about its future.

“Federal
environment minister Greg Hunt failed to show leadership on this
issue,” he said. “Mr Hunt could have stopped the dumping of
dredge spoil in reef waters instead he gave dumping the green light.

“The
World Heritage Committee will take a dim view of this decision which
is in direct contravention of one of its recommendations.”

The
committee is meeting in Doha in June when it might list the reef as
world heritage in danger.

Greenpeace
has previously said any dumping of spoil on the reef would be an
"international embarrassment".

"We
wouldn't throw rubbish on world heritage sites like the Grand Canyon
or the Vatican City, so why would we dump on the reef?" said a
spokeswoman, Louise Matthiesson.

A
swathe of England stretching from Devon in the southwest to Kent in
the southeast has already experienced twice the average rainfall for
the month, figures from the Met Office national weather service
showed, with more on the way this weekend.

The
army was preparing to deploy to one part of the largely rural county
of Somerset to help the residents of villages cut off by the worst
flooding there for 20 years.

Southeast
and central southern England have had more than twice their average
rainfall, with a record 175.2 millimetres (6.9 inches) falling
between January 1 and January 28, beating the previous record of
158.2 millimetres for the month set in 1988.

But
Britain as a whole has had an unusually sodden January.

The
Met Office said 164.6 millimetres of rain had fallen so far in
January across the entire country, which was 35 percent above the
long-term average.

More
heavy rain is forecast from Friday, which would exacerbate the
situation in areas already struggling with floods.

The
weather has left some areas badly affected by flooding, with 65
square kilometres (25 square miles) of the Somerset Levels underwater
for a month.

The
government has given the go-ahead for the army to help villages there
cut off by the floods and specialist vehicles are being brought in so
troops can deliver food, transport residents and deliver sandbags.

The
Ministry of Defence is deploying military planners to help the local
council and a small number of soldiers arrived on the ground on
Thursday.

Military
on standby as forecasters warn Somerset to prepare for more flooding

Scores
of soldiers, Royal Marines and emergency services personnel will be
on standby on Friday as the people of the flooded Somerset Levels
brace themselves again for more rain, gales and a tidal surge.

For
the first time since the Levels went under water at the start of the
month, military engineers and troops were on the ground on Thursday
helping civilian staff plan the response to this weekend's predicted
storms.

Military
vehicles, including Royal Marine amphibious vessels, were made
available and two fire service hovercraft were on the way to
south-west England. Ten high-volume fire pumps, staffed by crews from
as far afield as Merseyside and Cornwall, were parked in a motorway
service area in readiness for the next expected phase of the crisis.

There
was relief among residents that the army and marines were on the
ground – but also continuing anger that it had seemingly taken so
long for the government to act on the crisis. "We're grateful
that something is being done," said Bryony Sadler, a hairdresser
and mother who has endured weeks of flooding in the village of
Moorland. "I'm thankful someone seems to be listening at last
but it's been such a long time coming. It's been total mismanagement
so far."

Mark
Corthine, a retired army major, is facing months of disruption after
his farmhouse in nearby Fordgate was inundated with water and sewage.
He said he was pleased the "boys" were in place. "But
in reality it's come two weeks too late. I'm sorry it's taken a
disaster for the Environment Agency and government to take notice of
what is happening here."

Corthine
said he also feared for what could happen at the weekend with up to
20mm of rain predicted to sweep into Somerset, coinciding nastily
with winds of up to 60mph and high tides on Friday, Saturday and
Sunday. "I'm worried that water could come pouring in and more
homes be flooded," he said.

Nigel
Smith, a resident of Muchelney, which has been cut off by floodwater,
stepped off the taxi boat operated by the fire brigade between the
village and the town of Langport, and said the level of response was
now "terrific" – though he suggested the military
presence was more political than practical. "Sending the army in
is largely a political statement to satisfy people's justifiable
complaints," he said.

Certainly,
the military's approach on Thursday was softly-softly rather than
gung-ho. They were spotted in Land Rovers travelling around the
Levels on what the Ministry of Defence described as "recces".

Two
army engineers, currently based with 40 Commando, one of the UK's
elite fighting units, surveyed the flooding at Burrowbridge on the
banks of the River Parrett, where Welsh firefighters were helping
their Somerset colleagues pump water out of fields and properties.

The
pair then climbed – rapidly – up Burrow Mump, an earthwork that
has been used by the military as a look-out point and base since at
least the 9th century, to get a bird's eye look at the flooded
Levels. From there they drove to the edge of the floodwater
surrounding Muchelney – but did not get their feet wet – before
quick-marching back to their vehicle and away.

Later,
for the first time in the crisis, the county's strategic
co-ordinating group held a press conference in Taunton. Police chief
superintendent Caroline Peters said there was "real concern"
about what could happen on the Levels over the weekend. She said she
was happy that soldiers and marines were ready to spring into action.

Pat
Flaherty, the deputy chief executive of the county council, said it
was "understandable" that residents felt angry and
isolated. But he welcomed David Cameron's promise that the rivers
would be dredged when it was safe to do so. A key complaint from
residents is that over the past 20 years the Environment Agency has
refused to clear the rivers of silt, making it harder to clear the
Levels of floodwater.

There
was no sign of the Environment Agency – which argues that dredging
would not have stopped the floods – at the press conference. By the
time darkness fell, it had issued almost 200 flood warnings and
alerts for large swaths of England and Wales including Somerset.

The
speakers at the press conference made it clear that residents of the
Levels, were resilient. Sue Crocker, who berated the government when
the environment secretary Owen Paterson visited earlier this week,
said she and her neighbours were preparing for a party as the next
batch of weather built. "It's going to be a high tide party,"
she said. "We're going to watch the water and see if it spills
over. It could turn into a swimming party."

Around
the globe, sea levels typically rise a little in summer and fall
again in winter. Now, a new study shows that, from the Florida Keys
to southern Alabama, those fluctuations have been intensifying over
the past 20 years.

Around
the globe, sea levels typically rise a little in summer and fall
again in winter. Now, a new study shows that, from the Florida Keys
to southern Alabama, those fluctuations have been intensifying over
the past 20 years. Summer peaks have been getting higher and winter
troughs dipping lower, potentially increasing flooding from
hurricanes and stressing delicate ecosystems, the researchers report.

The
additional summer increase in sea levels over the past two decades
means storm surges can rise higher than previously thought,
increasing how much sea level rise contributes to the flooding risk
from hurricanes, according to Thomas Wahl, a postdoctoral researcher
from the University of Siegen in Germany who is working at the
University of South Florida in St. Petersburg and lead author of the
study.

Global
sea levels rose by about 5 centimeters (2 inches) from 1993 to 2011
and the newfound trend of summer sea level rise has added
approximately 5 centimeters on top of that in the eastern Gulf, the
research team reports. Wahl and colleagues from Florida and England
published their study last week in Geophysical
Research Letters, a
journal of the American Geophysical Union.

Conversely,
an increasingly downward, winter sea level trend along the eastern
Gulf Coast has reduced the flood risk from winter storm surges. At
the same time, the growing gap in the region between summer and
winter sea levels might be disrupting coastal ecosystems adapted to
what was once a relatively stable difference between the seasonal sea
levels, Wahl said.

The
team studied the entire U.S. Gulf Coast but found the trend toward a
greater summer-winter difference only along eastern Gulf shores.
Seasonal sea levels in the eastern Gulf of Mexico followed a steady
cycle from the beginning of the 1900s to the 1990s, increasing in
summer and dropping in winter by roughly the same amount year after
year. But, starting in the 1990s, sea levels have gotten both higher
in the summer and lower in the winter in the eastern Gulf, causing a
significant amplification of the annual cycle, according to the
study.

The
new work is the first to look at the changes to the sea level cycle
for the entire Gulf Coast region in the United States and the first
to encounter such a trend, according to Wahl. "This increase
over a period of almost 20 years is not found elsewhere in the
world," he said.

Wahl
and his colleagues discovered the trend in data from a set of 13 tide
gauges stretching from Key West at the tip of Florida to Port Isabel
on the Texas coast. Nearly all the tide gauges in the eastern Gulf of
Mexico, from Key West to Dauphin Island off the coast of Alabama,
showed a significant change in sea level cycle from the 1990s
onwards. The change in the sea level cycle was not observed in gauges
in the western part of the Gulf, stretching from the Louisiana coast
down to the Texas border with Mexico.

The
20-year increase in the annual amplitude, or difference between the
high summer levels and low winter levels, was 21 percent on average
and as high as 30 percent in some locations, according to the study.

For
example, in Key West, the annual amplitude of the sea level cycle for
the most recent five-year window was 12.4 centimeters (4.9 inches),
4.5 centimeters (1.8 inches) higher than the average amplitude before
1993, when the change in the seasonal sea level cycle started.

In
2013, when Wahl came to Florida on a fellowship to study the Gulf, he
started by looking at the tide gauge record in St. Petersburg. The
surprise of seeing a significant increase there in the seasonal cycle
during the last few years led him to examine the cycle of the entire
U.S. Gulf Coast in the past century.

Although
centimeter increases may seem small compared to storm surges measured
in meters, the increase means smaller surges have the potential to
inundate low-lying areas and cause erosion, Wahl explained. "These
indirect effects on storm surges in addition to the global sea level
rise are often ignored," he said.

On
the other hand, the decline in sea levels in the winter that was
observed in the eastern Gulf reduces the flood risk associated with
winter storm surges. However, changes in sea levels in the winter
could throw off, for example, the salt balance in sensitive coastal
wetlands, Wahl said.

"Very
sensitive ecosystems along the Gulf coast depend on the seasonal
cycle," he said. "If there are significant changes in the
seasonal cycle then this very likely has an effect" on these
ecosystems.

Significant
changes in the seasonal cycle might also affect oil spills, although
the researchers did not look at this effect, Wahl said. The changes
in the seasonal cycle could alter the tides and associated currents,
which could in turn influence the mixing of the oil and when it
reached land, although the impact would likely be small, he noted.

Unlike
global sea level rise, which is driven by temperature and is often
cited as an effect of climate change, the annual sea level cycle is
driven by a variety of local factors including wind, precipitation,
sea level pressure and temperature.

The annual cycle varies from
region to region, and, until recently, was thought to be constant
from year to year. Wahl said it has only been in the past few years
that scientists around the world have begun looking at possible
changes in regional sea level cycles including in the Baltic Sea,
Mediterranean Sea, Chesapeake Bay and the Caribbean.

Coastal
engineers need information about baseline sea levels in order to
build sea walls to protect coastal communities, said Philip
Woodworth, a scientist at the National Oceanography Centre in
Southampton in the United Kingdom, who did not contribute to the
study.

"A
change in the baseline of 5 centimeters could be an important
factor," he said.

Wahl
said the changes he and his co-authors saw in the seasonal cycle in
the eastern Gulf are driven by changes in air temperature and
atmospheric sea level pressure over the past two decades. The
researchers found that since 1990, summers have been getting warmer
and winters have been getting colder in the region. Atmospheric sea
level pressure, which also fluctuates with the seasons, declined more
in the summer and increased more in the winter after 1990.

Warmer
temperatures and lower sea level pressure in the summer led to the
higher water levels being seen in the eastern Gulf, while the lower
winter sea levels were driven by the colder temperatures and higher
pressure seen during that season, according to the study.

Insects
may thrive in the warmer average temperatures predicted by climate
models but are threatened by greater temperature variation also
anticipated in many areas around the globe, a Yale-led study predicts
in the Jan. 29 issue of the Proceedings of the Royal Society of
London.

“There
has been some thought that many species will do better because of
rising average temperatures,” said David Vasseur, associate
professor of ecology and evolutionary biology, who headed the study.
“But when coupled with greater temperature variations, the story
changes.”

Scientists
have tested the impact of temperature on 38 species of insects.
Vasseur and researchers from eight other organizations coupled that
data with historic climate data and climate projections for 2050 to
2059 in order to assess effects of temperature variability. When only
mean temperature rise was considered, insects flourished, but
“greater variation impacted them negatively,” Vasseur said.

The
frequency of wide temperature swings will impact species like insects
more than larger-bodied species with longer lifespans, he said. Also
the study suggests effects of climate change on many species will
vary greatly by locale.

“Global
climate models predict many areas of temperate regions such as the
central Midwest and much of Europe will experience more climate
variation,” Vasseur said.

The
study was funded by the Canadian Institute for Ecology and Evolution
and the National Science Foundation.

Jairam
Ramesh, the then Indian environment minister and a key player in the
talks that involved 192 countries and 110 heads of state, said: "Why
the hell did they do this and at the end of this, what did they get
out of Copenhagen? They got some outcome but certainly not the
outcome they wanted. It was completely silly of them. First of all,
they didn't get what they wanted. With all their hi-tech gizmos and
all their snooping, ultimately the Basic countries [Brazil, South
Africa, India and China] bailed Obama out. With all their snooping
what did they get?"

Martin
Khor, an adviser to developing countries at the summit and director
of the South Centre thinktank, said: "Would you play poker with
someone who can see your cards? Spying on one another like this is
absolutely not on. When someone has an upper hand is very
disconcerting. There should be an assurance in negotiations like this
that powerful players are not going to gain undue advantage with
technological surveillance.

"For
negotiations as complex as these we need maximum goodwill and trust.
It is absolutely critical. If there is anything that prevents a level
playing field, that stops negotiations being held on equal grounds.
It disrupts the talks," he said.

The
NSA would keep US negotiators abreast of their rivals' positions, the
document says. "Leaders and negotiating teams from around the
world will undoubtedly be engaging in intense last-minute policy
formulating; at the same time, they will be holding sidebar
discussions with their counterparts, details of which are of great
interest to our policymakers … Signals intelligence will
undoubtedly play a significant role in keeping our negotiators as
well informed as possible throughout the negotiations," it
reads.

The
document shows the NSA had provided advance details of the Danish
plan to "rescue" the talks should they founder, and also
had learned of China's efforts to coordinate its position with India
before the conference.

The
talks – which ended in disarray after the US, working with a small
group of 25 countries, tried to ram through an agreement that other
developing countries mostly rejected – were marked by subterfuge,
passion and chaos.

Members
of the Danish negotiating team told
the Danish newspaper Information that
both the US and Chinese delegations were "peculiarly
well-informed" about closed-door discussions. "They simply
sat back, just as we had feared they would if they knew about our
document," one source told Information.

British
negotiators at the summit declined to say whether their negotiating
positions had been informed by US intelligence. "It is a
longstanding policy that we do not comment on intelligence matters,"
said a spokesman for the Department of Energy and Climate Change, the
UK government department that led the negotiations in Copenhagen.

Ed
Miliband, who as energy secretary led the political negotiations for
Britain, declined to comment. However, at the time, he was furious
that the Danish text which the US had received advance information
about,had
been leaked to the Guardian.

But
one key negotiator for the G77 group of 132 developing countries, who
asked not to be named, said at the time that he strongly believed
that the US was eavesdropping on his meetings and would only talk in
a secure back room that he thought was not bugged. "I was well
aware that they seemed to know what our position was before we did,"
he told the Guardian.

But
Ramesh said that he had no idea that the US was spying on him. "I
didn't get a sense that I was being followed. I didn't get a sense
that my phones were tapped," he said.

Civil
society groups from around the world condemned the US. "The UN
climate talks are supposed to be about building trust – that's been
under threat for years because of the US backward position on climate
action – these revelations will only crack that trust further,"
said Meena Raman, negotiations expert from the Malaysian-based Third
World Network.

"Fighting
climate change is a global struggle, and these revelations clearly
show that the US government is more interested in crassly protecting
a few vested interests," said Brandon Wu, senior policy analyst
with development organisation ActionAid in the United States.